Pernod Ricard worker killed in ‘industrial accident’ in Ireland

A man in his 40s has died at a Pernod Ricard-owned whiskey warehousing facility in County Cork after being involved in an “industrial accident” on Monday.

At around 9am on Monday (12 March) Pernod Ricard employee Dominic Knowles died following an incident at the facility in Dungourney in County Cork.

In a statement to db‘s sister magazine, The Spirits Business, the Health & Safety Authority confirmed that Knowles was fatally injured by a forklift truck.

Knowles was pronounced dead at the scene and later moved to Cork University Hospital where a post mortem is due to take place.

Irish Distillers has said that it is “co-operating fully” with an investigation launched by the Gardaí and the Health & Safety Authority following the accident.

Chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers Jean-Christophe Coutures commented: “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that a member of our team, Dominic Knowles, was involved in a tragic accident in Dungourney.

“Dominic was a highly valued and extremely popular member of the Irish Distillers family. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Dominic’s family, his friends and colleagues.

“We are offering every support available to Dominic’s family and to all those affected by this tragic accident”.

Couture added that “as a mark of respect for Dominic, his family and the wider Irish Distillers family” the company has cancelled a number of promotional events that were due to take place this week.

The Dungourney maturation site, which is undergoing a €100m expansion project, is located near to Pernod Ricard’s Midleton Distillery, which creates the Jameson family of brands.